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Woman sentenced to probation for Broomfield accident that killed former Fairview teacher

By Megan Quinn

Enterprise Staff Writer

Posted:
07/10/2013 05:00:23 PM MDT

Updated:
07/10/2013 05:28:40 PM MDT

The driver of an SUV that struck and killed an 80-year-old retired teacher in Broomfield last year has been sentenced to probation and community service.

Holli Buchter, 51, of Longmont, was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation and 300 hours community service for careless driving resulting in death. She will also pay restitution to the family of the victims.

Buchter was sentenced in Broomfield County court on Wednesday after in May pleading guilty to careless driving causing the death of 80-year-old Wayne Daniels on Dec. 1, 2012. Daniels and his wife, Jane, 77, were pedestrians crossing Colo. 7 at Mountain View Boulevard when they were hit by the SUV being driven by Buchter.

The couple was in the crosswalk when Buchter made a right turn onto Colo. 7 in her a Dodge Durango and struck them both, according to Broomfield police.

Wayne Daniels, who became pinned under the car, was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but died of his injuries.

Jane Daniels suffered a broken femur and other injuries in the accident. She is still working to recover from the injuries, family members said Wednesday.

Buchter was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident, and had not been texting or talking on her cell phone, police said.

Lawyers in the case said environmental factors played a role in the accident. Buchter was turning west onto Colo. 7 around 4 p.m., just as the glaring winter sun was directly in her line of vision.

Because of the glare, she did not see the couple until it was too late, she told police.

Wayne Daniels had lived in the Boulder area since 1958. Formerly a Marine Corps aviator and a cartographer, he began teaching in the Boulder Valley School District at Casey Junior High School, where he earned an Outstanding Young Teacher of the Year Award. He later taught geology and physics at Fairview High School before retiring, only to take up teaching again as a flight instructor at the former Jefferson County Airport.

The couple also was heavily involved in the community through BVSD and St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, according to friends and family.

They liked to take walks together to stay in shape, friends said.

At the sentencing, Buchter cried as she read a statement apologizing for causing the Daniels family so much pain.

"When I was 20, my fiance died of leukemia. I never thought I'd ever again experience something so painful, but I was wrong," she said. "But my pain cannot compare with that of the Daniels' family. I have flashbacks, I cry myself to sleep every night."

Judge Bockman said Buchter showed remorse for her careless driving and had sought counseling for the depression and anxiety that developed after the accident.

Bockman said community service was the appropriate course of action, even though "no amount of restitution can recognize the loss the family and the community has suffered based on Mr. Daniels' death."

Lawyers on both sides of the case, as well as Daniels' family, have requested some of Buchter's community service be spent educating community groups, such as teen driving program Alive at 25, about the importance of safe driving.

In letters to the judge, Wayne Daniels was described as someone who was "loved immensely" as a husband, father, grandfather and active community member, Bockman said.

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